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Nevada
Legislature
Mulls
Marijuana
Decriminalization
Bill
4/16/99
Marc Brandl,
[email protected]
In the land of legal prostitution
and gambling, people arrested for small quantities of marijuana are often
shocked to learn they will be charged with a felony and face jail time.
A bill in the Nevada legislature would lessen those penalties. If
A.B. 577 becomes law, first time offenders caught with less than an ounce
of marijuana will face a fine of no more than $500 dollars. Repeat
offenders would be fined as much as $1000 dollars and pay additional fees
levied by the local county to cover the cost of a referral to a drug court
or rehabilitation program.
According to Assemblywoman
Chris Guinchigliani (D-Las Vegas), the bill's sponsor, a change in the
law is necessary because "the war on drugs, especially in the area of marijuana,
hasn't worked." She said the resources needed to prosecute low level
drug offenders should be put to better use. "My real motivation for
this is to try to get some additional revenue for rehabilitation," she
said. "I think that should be our focus, especially when it's an
ounce or less of marijuana. We need to stop putting people in prison
for an alcohol or drug problem -- we are destroying too many lives."
As of press time, the bill
is being considered on the Assembly floor after receiving bi-partisan approval
from the judiciary committee last week. The Nevada Assembly has a
large Democratic majority, but the bill may not get a warm welcome in the
state Senate. "The Senate has a vocal conservative majority," said
Dan Geary, a Carson City lobbyist. "Nevada is very much a law and
order state." But, he added, "I think the legislature may be surprised
to find widespread support for making the possession of marijuana a misdemeanor,
while remaining very much in favor of stronger penalties for sellers."
The text of the bill can
be found online at http://www.leg.state.nv.us/70th/bills/AB/AB577.html.
-- END --
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Issue #87, 4/16/99
HEA Reform Campaign Online Petition Launched | Conyers Reintroduces Racial Profiling Legislation | Conyers Introduces Legislation to End Felony Disenfranchisement | Unarmed Boy Shot in Drug Raid | California Legislators Consider "Three Strikes" Modification | Doctor's Undertreatment of Pain Draws Penalty | Nevada Legislature Mulls Marijuana Decriminalization Bill | Seminars at the Lindesmith Center | Editorial: Disparity Dilemma
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